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Protests by environmentalists in front of the Higher Administrative Court in Greifswald
Photo: Stefan Sauer / dpa
Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) has asked the Higher Administrative Court in Greifswald to measure possible methane emissions in connection with the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in the Baltic Sea.
There is no independent information about environmental damage in the context of gas extraction and transport in Russia, said Federal Managing Director Sascha Müller-Kraenner on Tuesday during a hearing.
"That's why we want this data."
The DUH had sued the Stralsund Mining Authority, which had approved the construction and operation of the pipeline at the beginning of 2018.
The environmental protection organization requires the authority to review any impact the project may have on climate protection.
Representatives of Nord Stream 2 AG pointed out the difficulties of such inspections in Russian territory.
The lawyer for the Mining Authority also referred to the authority's jurisdiction, which is limited to German territory.
According to DUH, new scientific findings suggest that methane emissions make natural gas more harmful to the climate than assumed when Nord Stream 2 was approved.
Methane is a greenhouse gas.
It was initially unclear whether a decision would be reached in the negotiation on Tuesday.
Certification is on hold
It is also unclear whether not putting the pipeline into operation could actually save emissions.
Nord Stream 2 is to pump gas from Russia to Germany bypassing the Ukraine, i.e. above all to replace existing pipeline capacities.
In addition, the Ukrainian pipeline system is considered to be in poor condition.
Nord Stream 2 has been completed but is not yet operational.
Certification by the Federal Network Agency is still pending.
Without this, gas transport is not permitted.
The authority announced on Tuesday that the proceedings had been suspended for the time being.
First, the operating company must be organized according to German law, it said.
The DUH welcomed the decision in a message.
beb / dpa